Italian Cheddar Bake

1 pkg(14 oz.) Macaroni & Cheese dinner
1 lb ground turkey
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) Italian-style stewed tomatoes, undrained
1/2 tsp oregano or basil
1 C shredded cheddar cheese


Preheat oven 400 degrees. Prepare Mac & Cheese as directed on package. Meanwhile, brown meat on medium-high heat and drain. Add tomatoes and bring to a boil.

Add meat mixture to Mac & Cheese and spoon into 2 qt. casserole dish. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake 10 min. or until cheese is melted and casserole is heated through.

Notes:
I prepared this the night before and just did not bake it. The next night I baked it for 25 min at 375 degrees. Eric had two large helpings(about half the pan) and emphatically said he loved it.

Roasted Red Potatoes with Bacon & Cheese

1/2 C Light Ranch Dressing
1/2 C Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/4 Real Bacon Bits
2 lb small red potatoes, quartered
1 T chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dressing, cheese, and bacon bits in a large bowl. Add potatoes and toss lightly.

Spoon into lightly greased 13x9in baking dish and cover with foil.

Bake 40 min. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 min. or until potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with parsley.

Notes:
I made bacon bits by frying bacon until crispy and then chopping in a food processor. Also, we made these on the grill instead of the oven because we were grilling steaks too. I just prepared like normal and wrapped in two foil packets. It really put a spin on the usual grilled foil packet of potatoes.

Pecan Pie

1 piecrust
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 C light corn syrup
4 T butter, melted
pinch of salt
1 C packed dark brown sugar
2 tsps pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 C pecan halves, toasted and roughly cut(reserve a handful of full ones to decorate top)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Fit the crust into a 9 in. pie plate. Crimp the edges with a fork. Mix everything but the pecans together well, then stir in the nuts and pour into pie crust. Scatter reserved pecans on top of pie. Bake 15 min. at 400 degrees, then lower the heat to 350 degrees and bake for 45 minutes. If the pie crust is getting too dark, cover with a strip of tin foil. Transfer pie to a rack to cool.

Notes: To toast pecans-bake at 300 degrees for 5-10 minutes, tossing occasionally. To roughly cut pecans a couple seconds in the food processor is perfect. The pie crust darkens quickly, it worked perfectly to cover it with tin foil after the first 15 minutes of baking.

This pie was super easy to make and delicious!

Back to Work

I've decided to make a renewed concentrated effort on blogging about my culinary creations. During the past few months I've been seriously slacking on cooking and been a bit lazy during the first part of pregnancy. However, now that we are planning on me being home full-time after the arrival of the baby we are in a serious budget crunch trying to save money. And of course I will have a lot more time for cooking now, so for those of you who benefit from this renewed effort feel free to leave your feedback and ratings!